Presenting research

The College of Arts and Sciences will hold its first undergraduate scholarship symposium on April 5 from 6 to 10 p.m., where students will orally present or demonstrate their academic achievements.

The goal of the symposium is to allow students from all departments of the College of Arts and Sciences to present and explain research or studies from their fields in a professional atmosphere.

Students will be showcasing their detailed posters that have data and models for their research, or other demonstrations within their field of study. Students were required to have the approval of a professor who is overseeing their projects before submission to ensure professional presentations.

“As their professor we can work alongside of them. We’re kind of teaching them in a new environment about things like networking and how to be professional,” Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Gary Isaacs said. Isaacs is also a co-chair of the Annual Meeting Symposium for the College of Arts and Sciences.

According to Isaacs, most students do research on things that have not yet been examined or tested.

“It’s not about getting an ‘A’ but about getting out and doing their job … Most students are trying to find new things to do that professors don’t know the answer to,” Isaacs said.

One example of a student working hard for something yet to be discovered is senior Rebecca Garrett, who will be presenting a poster on epigenetics and Alzheimer’s disease. She worked alongside Isaacs and several other students from the department of biology and chemistry for the research and poster. The study was also something that was meaningful to Garrett.

“My grandma has Alzheimer’s, so it’s something that is really personal to me. When I told my aunt and grandma I was doing this, they were really excited for me,” Garrett said.

But the symposium meeting has more to offer students than just to showcase work and practice professionalism.

“If you want to go into research, this is really crucial,” Garrett said. “It’s really awesome that Liberty is starting something like this so students like me, who want to go into research, can build up their resumes and (curriculum vitae).”

Furthermore, Isaacs and the other chairs of the symposium are hoping to have an “administrative push” for students in these fields to participate in the symposium. They are still trying to figure out how exactly to incorporate it into students’ curriculum.

Many colleges participate in similar events that are put on by the Virginia Academy of Science (VAS). Isaacs hopes that Liberty can one day be a sponsoring school for a VAS meeting.

“Come and check it out,” Isaacs said. “I want other people to be excited about what the College of Arts and Sciences is all about.”